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(No Model.) 8 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

. G. DIXON.

FLUID PRESSURE ENGINE.

No. 528,866. Patented Nov. 6, 1894.

m: uonms PETERS no. momuma. WASHINGTON. n. c.

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 2.

G. DIXON. FLUID PRESSURE ENGINE. 'No, 528,866. PatentedNov. 6, 1894.

:ugg w V (No Model.) '3 sheets-sheet 3. G. DIXQ'N. FLUID PRESSUREENGINE- No} 528,866. Patented No v. 6, 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

GEORGE DIXON, OF BOLTON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND JAMESMUSGRAVE, OF SAME PLACE, AND EDWARD FIELD AND FRANCIS SAN- DERSMORRIS,OF ADELPHI, ENGLAND.

FLUlD-PRESSU RE ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 528,866, dated November6, 1894.

Application filed August 16, 1893. Serial lid-483.302. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE DIXON, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, residing at Bolton, in the county ofLancaster,England,haveinvented Improvements in Fluid-Pressure Engines,of which the following is a specification.

In the specification of another application for Letters Patent filed byme of even date herewith, Serial No. 483,301, there is described amethod of working fluid pressure engines according to which in order toreduce the consumption of steam in the engine, heated air or gas isintroduced into the engine cylinder during the period of exhaust, thisheated air or gas being caused to take the place of the mixture whichhas already done Work so that when the piston is nearing the end of itsstroke and the exhaust port closes, the hot air or gas is compressedinto the clearance spaces, and on the completion of the stroke, whensteam is admitted for the return stroke, the surface with which it comesinto contact will have been by the use of the hot air or 2 5 gas raisedto such a temperature that initial condensation is much reduced or evenpractically prevented. The presence of the heated air or gas will alsohave an important influence as experiments have shown that when 0 steamis mixed with air or gas sufficiently heated great expansion takes placeso that considerable economy may be expected from this source.

Now my present invention has reference to a construction of enginewhereby the above described method of working such engines can becarried out in an efficient manner.

Wherea sufficiently high pressure of steam is available two or morecylinders may be em- 4o.p10yed the steam being expanded in one or morecylinders in the usual way and exhausted therefrom and hot air or gasbeing introduced as hereinbefore described into the final or lowpressure cylinder. The heated air or gas may be employed tosuperheat thesteam.

after it leaves the boiler, by causing the steam to pass through vesselsor pipes surrounded by the heated air or gas. The cylinders, covlatingin the jackets to prevent radiation and maintain a suitable temperature.The air, may be heated, by means of the waste gases ontheir way to thechimney or by any other suitable means. The waste gases themselves 5 5may be employed in the engine cylinder in lieu of heated air after beingpurified of all grit or other matter likely to injure the working partsof the engine. Such purification of the gases might be effected by meansof ap- 6o paratus such as shown in and described with reference toFigure 7 of the drawings appended to the specification of Letters Patentof the United States granted to Edward Field, dated December 2, 1890,No. 442,027.

In the accompanying drawings, Figs. 1 and 2, represent the cylinder of asteam engine with valves for the admission of heated air or gas, (forexample hot waste gas, that has been purified of allgrit or other matterlikely to 70. injure the working part of the engine.) arranged in thesides of the cylinder, Fig. 1 being aside elevation, and Fig. 2 an endelevation, both partly in section. Figs. 3 to 7 illustrate amodification in which the hot air or gas valves are arranged in thecovers of the cylinder; Fig. 3 being a sectional elevation showing thecylinder and its covers. Fig. 4 is an end view of the cover, as seenfrom the inside; Fig. 5, a corresponding view as seen rangement of thesystem applied to a'staejecting through the port h, the mixture whichhas just previously done work in the cylinder. I00

but this arrangement might obviously be reversed. The heater is shownplaced in the boiler flue. isa super-heater through which the steam andair pass one within and the The valves ye are held closed by the springsi, 1 until owing to the opening of the exhaust valves, the pressure offluid in the cylinder is sufiiciently reduced to allow the pressure ofheated air or gas to open the valves e. The

heated air or gas then flows into the cylinder, ejecting (through theport h) the mixture which has just before done work and, on the closingof the exhaust valve, a portion of the heated air or gas is compressedinto the clearance space, as the piston K completes its stroke.

For convenience of inspection and repair the valve chest 0 may be madeseparate from the cylinder, as shown. The heated air or gas enters bythe branch d.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive:d dare inlet branchesfor stheheated air or gas, e e are the valves and f f itheirf seats. Theconstruction and arrangementf of theseareshown in detail in Fig. :6.Thei portsand passages for the admissionof steam, i1 and :for theexhaust from the cylinder, are} shomnas of the ordinary Oorlisstype, ibeing i the steam inlet to the steam chest 7',:provided at 70 withrotary valves,-and h, 71." being the, exhaust branches controlled byother rotary i valves arranged at W, h as well understood, l but anywell known or suitable forms of 5 valves and ports maybe adopted.Aicrossi piece such as e (Fiigsfiand 7-) is securely at-l, tached tothecover, in vfrontof each hot air, or gas valve, to prevent thepossibility of a valve getting inside the cylinder.

hlVith regard to thetem-perature and ,press- P we of the air, it hasbeen found'when working such an engine with steam at .apressure of fromone hundred poundsito-one hundred and twenty pounds per square inch thata temperature of about 400 Fahrenheit is :suitable for the air. Itspressure should be sufficient to overcome the back pressure of theexhaust. Satisfactory results have been obtained when using airat apressure of about half a pound per square inchin-excess of the backpressure of the exhaust.

The valvese shown in the drawings for the admission .of the heated airor:gas to the en- I gine cylinder are intended to be opened bya slightfluid pressure generallysay about .one 'half pound to one pound persquare inch in excess .of the back pressure of the exhaust which slightpressure can be maintained :by a Ifan, blower, orair pump that may beplaced in any suitable position for causinga current of heated :air orgas to fiowinto-the cylinder; or the inflow of heated air or gas to thecylinder may be caused by creating a partial vacuum in thecylinder bymeans of .a suitable exhauster.

in the general arrangement of the system shown in Fig. 8, 1 is theboiler, 2 the engine,

.and'B the tan or blower, which maybe of the welliknown- Root type. 4 isthe air heater, constructed, in this example, with metal pipes throughwhich the airpasses, the hot gascircnlating around the outsides of thesepipes;

other around metal pipes. The pipes 6, 7, 8 constitute the air supply.They respectively connect the blower to the heater; the heater may takeonly the waste heat on its way to the chimney; or the heater may bedivided, part being heated by waste heat, and part by direct heat; or ,aspecial furnace may be provided. In iron, steel, or other works, thewaste heat from the various furnaces :in use may be utilized to heat theair.

As will be evident, this invention may be carried out in varioustormsand applied iuengines designed for various purposes whether stationarymarine or locomotive, simple or compound and whether the steam berexpanded onceor twice or other nzunrberiof times successively. Again:insteadof introducing the hot air or gas into the cylinder entirelythrough valves in the sides toriends of ithe cylinderior through ahollow piston, it myightibe introduced into the cylinder partly throughvalves in the cylinder sides or ends (or both.)

and partly :througha hollow gpiston. In :lieu of air valves of thefonmsshown inthedrawings valves of any other suitable construction mightbe employed,;such for example .as slide valves, iOorliss VBJMQSyOl':piston valves these being actuated .as well understood by any suitablemeansrsuchaseccentrics, levers, cams, or slip motions for admitting orcutting off the supply of hot airror gas to the cylinder at any requiredpoint of the stroke taking care 150 provide .against the opening of thevalves for admitting hot airior gas to the cylinder until after thepressure in the cylinder has been reduced below-the avail- :ablepressure-of hotair ortgas and also .to provide for the closing of theair or gas .admission valves before the proper time dior commencemen-tof the compression of the .hotair or gas'in the cylinder.

Engines according to this inventionimayzbe constructed with two or morecylinders in each or some of which steam direct trom the boiler may beused in conjunction with heated ai riorgassintroducediinto the cylinderas and tor the "purpose above set forth.

What I claim is- 1. in afluid worked engine, an engineieylinder havingat one or at each .end thereof separatesteam and gaseous fluid supplypipesior passages, a valve acting to place the'gaseous fluid supply pipeor passage in'comimunication withsaid cylinder during the period ofexhaust, andia valve-acting'to place the steam IIO supply pipe incommunication with said cylinder after compression of gaseous fluidtherein.

2. In a fluid worked engine, the combination with an engine cylinderhaving a steam inlet and valve at one or at each end thereof, of agaseous fluid supply pipe or passage to one or to each end of saidcylinder, and a valve or valves acting to open communication betweensaid pipe of passage and said cylinder during the period or exhaustthereof.

3. The combination with a steam engine cylinder and its steam supply andexhaust valve or valves, of a pipe or passage for supplying hot air tosaid cylinder, and a valve or valves acting to open and admit hot air tosaid cylinder during the period of exhaust thereof substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination with a steam engine cylinder and its steam supply andexhaust valve or valves, of a supply pipe or passage for supplying hotair to said cylinder, and a non-return valve or valves adapted to openautomatically during the period of exhaust of said cylinder and to closewhen the pressure within said cylinder exceeds that of the hot air insaid pipe or passage substantially as described.

5. In a fluid worked engine an engine cylinder provided at each end withan inlet passage and port for gaseous fluid, a non-return valvecontrolling the same and arranged to open inward when the pressurewithin the corresponding end of said cylinder falls below that of thegaseous fluid supplied to said inlet passage, a separate steam inletpassage and port, and a valve for controlling the same substantially asherein described. I

6. In a fluid worked engine an engine cylinder provided at each end witha port that said inlets, of a heater, pipes connecting the ,7

the same with the gas inlet passages of said engine cylinder, a blowerfor forcing gas through said heater and connecting pipes, a steamgenerator, and a steam su perheater arranged in the steam pipe betweensaid steam generator and engine cylinder and formed with separate butadjacent passages for steam and hot gaseous fluid substantially asdescribed for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE DIXON.

' Witnesses:

J OHN O. NU'ITALL,

213 Chorley 0. Road, Hall dwell, Cashier.

JAMES HAMMOND,

229 Charley Old R(l., Halliwell, OZerlc.

